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Alzheimer's Disease At A Glance

Much has been written about Alzheimer's disease. Information is available for the patient and the family members. Scientific data and study results are available for doctors and other medical professionals regarding the disease. There are some striking facts about the disease that stand out when you glance through the mountain of information about this very devastating disease.

Specialists treating Alzheimer's include neurologists, neuropsychologists, neuroradiologists, and psychiatrists, sleep professionals, physical medicine specialists and behavioral therapists. All of these specialists have their own spin on the disease from their own professional perspective. The patient and family members gather information not only from these specialists including the doctor and staff but also from books, magazines, and support groups and from the abundance of information available on the Internet. The information that stands out the most when glancing through all that is available about Alzheimer's disease is that:

The Disease:

It is incurable. There is no going back to better health. Memory will not improve, it will worsen and eventually all memory will be gone. Cognitive abilities will never go back to what they once were; in fact they will steadily decline. The patient's very personality and behavioral patterns will change and worsen over time. The disease is progressive in nature robbing the individual of all cognitive, and behavioral essence, leaving behind a shell of what the person was before the disease struck.

The Diagnostic Process:

There is no single conclusive test that can be done to determine that a person indeed has Alzheimer's disease. The diagnosis is made based on a history of symptoms, interviews from the individual and those who are close such as family and friends, findings from neurological examinations and other diagnostic tests some of which have been done to rule out other mental conditions or physical diseases.

The Treatment Process:

The treatment plan is designed around addressing the symptoms and making the patient comfortable and safe. The treatment plan changes with the progression of the disease. Treatment can include both medicated and non-medicated methods of addressing the needs of the patients and in an effort to minimize or manage the symptoms.

The Prognosis:

The Prognosis is that death will occur usually as a result of a complication of Alzheimer's such as an infection.

There is a gradual loss of independence, and a progressive loss of memory; cognitive skills and behavioral changes that will be nothing like the former individual.

Early diagnosis of the disease can buy more time for the individual, family and other loved ones because some medications may be able to slow the progression of the disease.

There is constant research being done to help improve how Alzheimer's disease is managed and to perhaps one day find a way to prevent or cure the disease.